Hatabō
(ハタ坊) |image = File:Dajo.png |caption = Hatabō as he appears in the 2015 anime. |Row 1 title = Gender |Row 1 info = Male |Row 2 title = 1966 VA |Row 2 info = Midori Kato |Row 3 title = 1988 VA |Row 3 info = Mari Mashiba |Row 4 title = 2015 VA |Row 4 info = Momoko Saitō |Row 5 title = English VA |Row 5 info = TBA }} Hatabō (ハタ坊 Hatabou) is a recurring character in the series Osomatsu-kun. He is also the lead character in the Hatabō and Wanpei stories that ran in the Communist publication Red Flag Sunday. He was one of the supporting characters created and added to the manga by Akatsuka's assistant Kenichiro Takai, when Akatsuka requested him to come up with more new cast members. His name was decided by a Shonen Sunday reader column, and means "flag boy". An adult version of the character appears in the spinoff anime Osomatsu-san. Overview Hatabō is a young boy that tends to be set as as much younger than the sextuplets and not yet in grade school, but is also at times portrayed as being in their very grade or even older (to the point of even being an adult in a story). He is utilized for various bit parts in the series, but sometimes appears in a larger role and can be anything from heroic to a more criminal or anti-hero kind of depiction. Along with Iyami and Chibita, the 1988 anime gives more screentime to him and the other non-sextuplet characters. In -san, Hatabō remains physically small and even acts childish, but is in actuality around the same age range as the sextuplets. Personality & Characteristics Child (-kun) Appearance Hatabō is best recognized by the small Hinomaru flag that protrudes from the top of his skull, which can be removed if he pleases. His hair is a shaggy bowlcut, with the ends of his bangs often compared to that of a Kappa. In the original manga, the Studio Zero anime, and the CR Osomatsu-kun pachinko game, he often can be seen wearing pants and a single-buttoned shirt that resembles the type worn by Chibita and other Akatsuka child characters. But in the 1988 Pierrot anime, he is instead depicted wearing a white shirt and green overalls with a baby chick printed on the front. This is also utilized in his Pachislot Osomatsu-kun design. He notably has a pair of vertical lines under his nose, representing a runny nose along with the whisker-like marks he bears on his cheeks indicating dried mucus. A single bucktooth protrudes from his mouth. In different alternate universe or movie-inspired stories, the design of Hatabō's flag can be subject to change, with it appearing as the United States flag if he is set as an American, or a black flag with a skull and crossbones as the assassin Joe Hatabō. In Hatabō and Wanpei, he wears a solid red flag to represent the Communist party of Japan. His two earliest appearances in the manga had him with the flag hanging out of his ears''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 7 chapter 1, "Welcome to Chibita's Fish Shop" (こんちわチビ太のさかな屋さん) and chapter 3 (きそく正しくじょうぶで長もち), eBookJapan.; this would persist in some later appearances''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 8 chapter 10 "Chibita! Be a Child of Dekapan!" (チビ太！デカパンの子どもになれ), eBookJapan.. The third and fourth appearances of the character showed some further indecision on how to draw him, depicting him with spiral blush marks on his cheeks, and either entirely lacking a flag''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 7 chapter 13, "Chibita Wants a Brother" (チビ太はほしいおにいさん), eBookJapan. or simply holding it in his hand''Osomatsu-kun'' volume 8 chapter 5, "Iyami's Ballet Recital" (イヤミバレエの発表会), eBookJapan.. Personality In the early manga, Hatabō is often seen as simple-minded young boy that is not too intelligent, but free-spirited and going about things at his own pace. Because of his nature, other characters like to take advantage of him and bully him, including the sextuplets and Chibita. But there are also scenes where he can boast of strength at being able to beat Chibita, and when cast in a less innocent kind of role, he is often immediately stronger and can use subordinates to his advantage. In the Shonen King run, he is depicted much smarter than before and this intelligence carries over to his characterization in the 1988 series. Even so, Fujio Pro commonly still thinks of him as a "baka" (fool)-type character, and has him appear in interactive site materials for the Bakabon Bakada University section. His official profile also describes him as a boy who does not know anything, nor really think of anything, just that he's vaguely livelyHatabō profile, Koredeiinoda. Adult (-san) Appearance The adult Hatabō wears green overalls with a light yellow hoodie beneath them. He appears somewhat taller than his childhood self, but is still very small when compared to the sextuplets and most other adults his age. In the movie, it is even clarified that Hatabō hasn't even physically changed at all from when he was in his teens to his 20s. Personality Hatabō is usually a simple, kind young man who isn't the brightest, but may bear a rather severe streak or unsettling implications depending on the skit. He retains many childish attributes, such as his habit of riding about on a kids' tricycle, and seeming to live a more child-like existence and longing for friends. In season 1, he is mainly set as a rich "Mr. Flag", but loses that fortune and setting after his employees leave him due to the fact he has no clue of how to handle all his money and business. Speech In both versions, Hatabō often ends his sentences in the tic "da jo" or simply a "jo". Early in the 1988 anime, he often simply introduces himself with the phrase "Hatabō da jo!"/"I'm Hatabō", with it being about the only thing he would say until his character had more to do in scripts. Relationships History Osomatsu-kun (manga) "Osomatsu-kun Grows Up" In this beer advertisement, a possible future scenario has Hatabō having become a famous comedic actor in his adulthood. He is very rich, and has a nose hair mustache growing out similar to that of Bakabon's Papa. Dayōn is shown to be one of his fans, and has his mouth used by him as a large cooler to store his bottles of Sapporo Black in. Foreign Names Hatabō appears with these names in dubbing and translations of the franchise outside of Japan. The Metenabo renaming in the "Cosas de Locos" dub even applies in episodes where his name is altered for the setting, such as Joe Hatabo becoming Joe Hatabo Metenabo. His catchphrase is also altered to be "Soy Hatabo Metenabo!", to fit. The Korean renaming only applies to the -kun dub, "The Yuk Family's Sextuplets"; his name is retained in the dub of -san. Portrayals Voice Acting The actress for this character was never given a credit in the 1966 series, with the exception of one episode where Kato was shown in the listing. Due to a mistake in the book "TV Anime Memories of 25 Years", it was believed he was voiced by Takako Sasuga. However, this is not the case. In the 1988 series, he was voiced by Mari Mashiba, who took on Karamatsu as a secondary role as well. In -san, his voice is provided by Momoko Saito who also takes on other bit parts in the series. Gallery Hatabō/Gallery Episode Appearances 1966 Anime Hatabo/1966 Anime Episode Appearances 1988 Anime Hatabo/1988 Anime Episode Appearances 2015 Anime Hatabo/Osomatsu-san Episode Appearances Trivia * The Romanization of his name is not the most consistent between official merchandise and subtitles. It has been written in English with or without its macron, and also as Hatabou, in an attempt to represent the long "o" vowel sound in Western alphabet. References Category:Male Characters